The second part of our Spring Break we planned an Italy tour! We flew into Rome and had two days to conquer our sight seeing list. We walked around Rome for a few hours right when we got there just to check out the city, after getting some Italian wine of course. We walked to see the Venetian, which was being set up for holy week (Easter).
The next day we went on a tour at the coliseum as well as some Roman ruins. I actually learned a lot about Rome’s history and it was cool to see some things in real life that I have learned throughout the years in school. I never thought I would see Roman ruins in real life but they were incredible. Right at the end of our tour there was a down our of rain so we took cover and got some glasses of wine. After having great company and great wine, the rain let up and we continued exploring. We went to Trevi Fountain and got our “Lizzie McGuire on” and if you don’t know that reference, in her movie she threw a coin over her shoulder into the fountain making a wish and became famous, fell in love, you get the point. We walked up the Spanish stairs, got some cute pictures of the three of us, and we ended our day by checking out the Pantheon.
The next day we took the Italiotren to Florence where me and Hanna each had a friend studying. We went to see the BoboliGardens before meeting up with Hanna’s friend Anna who helped show us around. We got some wine and went to the Piazza de Michael Angelo to listen to music and watch the sunset. A bunch of people we knew were there hanging out and and it was so fun to see some of the friends I had to say bye to in December before we left school. We went to dinner and our friends brought us to some of their bars. The nightlife was so much more laid back then in Barcelona and I got to wear leggings and boots out! We were done with the bars around 2 am, which is just about when the secret bakeries open! Secret bakeries are these little windows or doors where you can pick up pastries being freshly baked to be sent out to the bakeries in the morning. We obviously went to find one of these and it was by far the best pastry I have ever had. On our final day in Florence, my friend Rachel who studied there showed us all the places to go. We went to the leather market, Ladurée, this unreal Panini place, and saw all her favorite places.
That night we got on a bus to the Amalfi Coast. Here we were meeting some of our friends who are studding in Prague. We got in around 3am and were told to be up by 6AM. So rough but we managed with A LOT of coffee! We got on a boat that showed us some of the sights off of the water, including the Blue Grotto. Then we went to Capri to explore, tried a bunch of limoncillothere and went on this incredible hike to get back to our Ferry. The second day was supposed to be our beach day at Positano but when we got there, there was an insane rainstorm. Everyone ran off the ferry and straight for cover. We sat in a covered patio and got lunch while watching the rainstorm. The ferry ride home in the storm was horrible. The water was so rough that they were having difficulties boarding us on the boat and once we were on, the boat was getting tossed by the waves. So many people were getting seasick and throwing up over the boast; and so many drunk kids were running around and falling everywhere as the boat jerked around. I will admit that I was pretty scared for us. After getting back to the hotel and calming down, we got ready and went to this bar that was outdoors. On our way there we got stuck in a road block for one of their religious ceremonies celebrating Holy Week (Which is like Easter). They ceremony/parade was very eerie and they were all dressed in black outfits that are comparable to the Ku Klux Klan style. It was cool to see how different their culture and celebrations were though.
The next day we took on the city for Easter. We started our morning off with some cocktails outside in the sun, walked around the coast and settled down on the beach for a while.
On our final morning the buses took us to Naples and our tour guide told us to try this espresso drink and Pizza, as Naples is the pizza capital of the World. Fun Fact: Margarita Pizza was invented in Naples, representing the Italian Flag. Red Sauce, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil. When we ordered the coffee they told us about it was a shot glass size and we asked for bigger. The lady said we were crazy but gave it to us. We definitely should have listened to her. Everyone’s body was freaking out from a combo of the caffeine and sugar overload. It was actually pretty scary for a little but after getting food my body calmed down. Hanna, Haley, and I grabbed a cab to the Naples airport where we had some time before heading to Barcelona. I was trying to sleep but was so nauseous from the stupid drink that I kept having to get up and get air and walk around. I ended up getting so sick and throwing up black espresso, lesson learned… do as the locals do!